All mankind on earth possess a spirit — the invisible part of them which reflects their soul, and animates the heart and mind. The spirit in all humans, once created, is eternal. Meaning that when the body dies, the spirit lives on. Every eternal spirit must spend its eternity somewhere, and that somewhere is pre-chosen … Read more
If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true. John 5:31-32 (NASB) As I read these words in John’s gospel this morning, my mind flooded with memories of all the good opinions of … Read more
The Apostle Paul wrote many things that both inspire and challenge me. One of those is in Galatians 5:25: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (NIV) Right — keep in step with the invisible Spirit of God. The first time I read that I had two simultaneous … Read more
There is a powerful lesson for us in the story of how Mary of Nazareth learned she would conceive and give birth to the Savior of the world. That lesson is the connection between faith in God and favor with God. In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, … Read more
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27 (NASB) Consider this: Jesus first spoke these words to His disciples on the verge of their most terrifying moment. They … Read more
I noticed it the first time I read through the Gospels. Jesus repeatedly acknowledged man’s hunger and thirst, promising they would be satisfied. I understand now what I didn’t then: that He spoke out of the depths of His human experience. A man who lived in a body with appetites, who possessed a soul that … Read more
The Apostle Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 5:17 to “be filled with the Spirit.” What exactly does that mean? The tense of the Greek translated here as “filled” is one that means being continually filled with the Spirit — as an ongoing state of being. You may think this is mysterious or difficult spiritual exercise, … Read more
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. John 14:21 “I will show myself to them.“ How does Jesus show himself to the one who obeys him as … Read more
When I first determined to live by the Greatest Commandment, to love God with all my might, I searched for how to do that. How do you go about loving God? Was it all about church attendance and tithing and prayer and study of God’s Word? That is the easy assumption. That was definitely the … Read more
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. Psalms 139:2-4, NIV A Christian in whom the Holy Spirit dwells … Read more
